Kien Giang Some business individuals are trying to attract tourists back to Phu Quoc this summer, after the "pearl island" was affected by problems such as overcharging and high prices.
Phuong Linh, a restaurant manager in Phu Quoc, once shared about the "unhealthy" profit sharing between drivers and restaurants, saying that business this summer is quite sluggish, with an expected 40% decrease compared to the same period last year. Some travel companies and agents selling travel combos also shared a similar lack of customers. AZA Travel recorded a 40% decrease in the number of customers interested in Phu Quoc. Since the beginning of the year, the company has not had any MICE (group) guests coming to Phu Quoc, even though they "ran tirelessly" last year. Best Price Travel Company also said that group guests booking tours to Phu Quoc from January to July have decreased by about 50%.
Night market in Phu Quoc. Photo: Nguyen Khanh
Expensive service prices (including airfare), overcharging, and unsustainable tourism have caused Phu Quoc to lose points in the eyes of tourists.
Faced with this situation, some individuals operating in the tourism business in Phu Quoc have come up with a plan to "save" the image of the "pearl island". Phan Anh Phuong, the owner of a Phu Quoc tourism review group with more than 300,000 members, is implementing the "Friendly Phu Quoc" project, aiming to solve the "media crisis" caused by the "price gouging" problem.
Basically, this project is still quite primitive with about 100 million VND of capital contributed by key members. About 30 million VND will be used for communication work about "Friendly Phu Quoc".
In addition, Phuong also hopes to provide tourists with information about reputable tourism service providers that do not "rip off". They will collect data about restaurants and drivers to post on websites and social networks, helping tourists easily choose and connect. In addition, the group also helps participating restaurants update prices every day.
"We are the ones providing tourism services on the island. If tourists don't come, we will be the first to suffer, so everyone must work hard for the common good," he said.
Some other businesses in Phu Quoc also proposed solutions to help the "pearl island" regain its image. Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dieu, owner of Gio Bien restaurant (Ganh Dau), said that if restaurants and eateries cannot reduce prices, they should increase the value of the restaurant and dishes. They can improve the quality of service, improve the quality of dishes, and the decoration.
On the other hand, Mr. Dieu also suggested that restaurants and eateries should publicize their prices on their media to filter customers from the beginning. This can help customers find restaurants that fit their budget and avoid feeling ripped off.
A restaurant in Phu Quoc. Photo: Traveloka
Meanwhile, a representative of Shri restaurant (Duong To) said that restaurants can diversify their communication methods even more, such as asking diners to rate the quality of service and write reviews on groups.
Regarding the commission for drivers, most restaurant owners interviewed said that this is a "thank you" that should be given because drivers are also a marketing channel. However, restaurants need to eliminate the haphazard way of doing things, depending too much on drivers. The commission should be kept the same, around 10% instead of 20-30%.
Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association, said that the tourism market has many participants, so risks and negative impacts are difficult to avoid. Therefore, the problem is to find ways to prevent risks, instead of "putting out fires wherever they happen". Mr. Thang highly appreciated the dedication of individuals who want to restore Phu Quoc's beautiful image, but these actions are not enough.
Two years ago, he proposed to a tourism leader of Kien Giang province to build a statistical database in Phu Quoc. Phu Quoc has received a lot of investment, has great potential, and is favorable for building a statistical database due to its small area, isolated location, and easy control of incoming and outgoing traffic.
"If there is a database and statistics, Phu Quoc will easily regulate prices, not only restaurant prices but also airfares. That is the way to do sustainable tourism," said Mr. Thang.
Also related to sustainable tourism development, Mr. Thang said that Phu Quoc needs to develop cultural tourism more strongly. He commented that many people still understand cultural tourism in a narrow way, as something that is "dramatized". Meanwhile, cultural tourism is actually something that is everywhere, clearly visible in people's lives.
For example, Bali (Indonesia) or Phuket (Thailand) are two of the top beach destinations in Southeast Asia thanks to their "cultural density". Phu Quoc can develop in this direction with prison relics, just like Hoa Lo Prison has become a top tourist destination in Hanoi.
Cultural tourism is also a bridge to international tourists - a group of customers that the Vietnamese tourism industry is looking forward to after the pandemic. "Anyone working in tourism understands that the need for cultural exploration among foreign tourists is very high," said Mr. Thang.
Tu Nguyen
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